Any ruling is expected to treat wireless differently than wired broadband

Net
neutrality is a topic that raises some serious support from both
sides of the table. The cable and phone companies that provide the
majority of the nation's broadband connectivity don’t want the FCC
to impose rules and regulation on the industry. At the same time,
many consumers want the FCC to step in and force the broadband
providers and wireless carriers to treat all traffic equally rather
than forcing slower speeds for things like video streaming.

The
FCC had previously postponed
any rulings on net neutrality until after the November
elections were completed. Now that the elections are over, the FCC is
again moving to make a decision on net neutrality. The FCC is
considering web traffic rules for a meeting set for December reports
Reuters.

The
meeting was set for December 15, but that meeting has now been
postponed
until December 20. The delay of the meeting is to give the FCC
more time to set its agenda. Agendas for meetings are typically
released three weeks before a meeting is held. The FCC has not
confirmed that net neutrality will be the topic of its December
meeting.

Analyst Jeffery Silva said, "The signals out
there seem to be they are in fact contemplating a vote in December."
He continued, "The situation's very fluid at the present time,
and I think they're carefully considering the message they've
received from Capitol Hill and trying to figure out their next
step."

One of the core issues that the FCC is considering
is the reclassification of internet services under the same umbrella
as telephone service. The reclassification of broadband services in
that manner would give the FCC a better legal footing for forcing
broadband providers to follow its rules. The FCC's legal authority
over the broadband and wireless industries has been questioned in
court.

Reuters reports
that an analyst from Stifel Nicolaus stated in a research note the
FCC is likely to skip reclassification in favor of a net neutrality
bill that was developed by House Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman back
in September. The legislation is a draft right now and had
support from industry providers but was unable to move forward in the
House.

Analysts expect that any rules adopted for the industry
would treat wireless broadband differently. The expectation is that
the wireless providers would be allowed to put more focus on voice
calls over video and other services using their network.

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Well, I certainly don't trust the FCC to handle this situation effectively. After all, they put themselves into this position of non-authority by deciding not to regulate "information services" during the Computer Inquiries in the 80s. What they're trying to do now is a complete 180 degree reversal from back then.

Their actions then and now just highlight how poorly equipped the FCC is to address these issues. With chairmen effectively appointed by the President's party, and the party in power flipping all the time, there is no stable leadership. There is no consistency. Focus and policies change drastically with each swing of the political pendulum.

At the same time, since when have industry players achieved social goals with no economic incentives by themselves? =\

quote: Well, I certainly don't trust the FCC to handle this situation effectively. After all, they put themselves into this position of non-authority by deciding not to regulate "information services" during the Computer Inquiries in the 80s. What they're trying to do now is a complete 180 degree reversal from back then.

I have to disagree. When faced with a new technology, I think the prudent thing is to first leave it alone to see how it plays out. After a few years (or decades) when you have a pretty good handle on what types of problems tend to crop up with the technology, then you try to address those problems.

I'm not trying to justify how the FCC does stuff (like you, I'm not even sure they're the right agency for this). But I disagree that a "complete 180 degree reversal" is a necessarily a sign of duplicity or incompetence. IMHO Congress really needs to put the foot down here and pass something either authorizing the FCC or another agency to do this, or pass something saying that the government won't touch it.